


Lorelei

by Elivra



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/F, Mentioned Reibert, MerMay, Small appearance by Carina Braun and she is just as vile as she is in canon, Ymir is dumb and stressed and very Gay, the other Marleyan kids are present but not enough to warrant tags on their own
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:28:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24249574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elivra/pseuds/Elivra
Summary: In a babysitting crisis, Ymir turns to a stranger from the internet for help.Happy Mermay everyone! Here, have some lesbians.(Rated for language)
Relationships: Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir
Comments: 16
Kudos: 74





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hokay, so I started writing this last year and abandoned it 1k words in. I suddenly got the inspiration to continue this two days ago, somehow have finished it with more than 5k words now. Idek guys, the lesbian itch is unpredictable.
> 
> The title of this fic is based on a lovely German poem called [Die Lorelei](https://www.oxfordlieder.co.uk/song/652), based on the legend of a beautiful golden-haired siren who lured sailors to their death near a cliff called Loreley. There are also many famous musical compositions based on this poem, check out wikipedia for a list of works inspired by the poem.
> 
> As a disclaimer, I would like to say that I've put way more thought into the title of the story than the actual story itself, which will remain lighthearted and fun and very very gay.
> 
> Happy reading! <3

“Come on, pick up, pick uuup…” Ymir fumes, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor, and at almost the point where she gives up, there is a click, “Hello?”

“Bert!” She practically shrieks.

“Whoa!” There is a clatter as if he dropped the phone, and then comes his breathless voice again. “Ymir, what’s wrong?”

Never did she imagine she’d be saying these words to _Bertholdt Hoover_ , of all people. But her pride is as good as dead, currently melting into goo in the pool outside. “I need help.”

“You sound stressed, are you okay?” Bert sounds genuinely concerned, and Ymir, in her usual fashion, snaps, “ _No_ , you sweaty pole, that’s why I said I need your help!”

“Okay, _breathe_.” Luckily he doesn’t sound even slightly offended, well-used to her antics.

Ymir obeys, takes in a deep breath. Then she lets all of it loose.

“What the fuck is wrong with Reiner’s mum?”

Bert sighs. “What did she do now?”

“Who the hell calls a babysitter, and then just randomly adds _more_ kids to take care of, _after_ the sitter’s arrived?”

“Uh-oh.”

“Uh, _yes_ . The bitch wants to go fuck-knows-where, and to shut the kid up she makes up a _kiddy party_ for me to take care of? Without prior fucking notice?” Ymir ruffles her hair in frustration. “I don’t even like _adult_ parties, and what the fuck am I supposed to do with a _kids_ party?”

“Why did you agree?”

“Because I had no choice? I told her I wouldn’t do it, and then the woman turns to Gabi and goes like, aww, sweetie, Ymir’s bein’ a meanie and your widdle party wiw hafta be _cancewwed_.”

Her mocking tone only causes him to burst into laughter. “She did not say that.”

“Might as well have.” Ymir sighs, leans against the window. “The look on Gabi’s face, Bert, fuck. I couldn’t say no.”

“You’re a good person, Ymir.” She can picture him smiling as he says it.

“Yeah, I’m a legit fucking saint. Now help me.” She glances, stupidly enough, at the wall clock. “Can’t you guys come help?”

“If you’re willing to wait two days, we could,” Bert retorts, and Ymir groans again. “No, no, hold on, you got this. It’s easy. You just need to have food and entertainment and all the kids are happy.”

“Well food’s taken care of, thanks to Miss Carina,” Ymir grumbles. “Can you believe there are caterers with ‘Emergency Kiddy Party’ packages? With themes and shit?”

“There’s nothing I don’t believe when it comes to rich people.”

Ymir snorts. “A-fucking-men.”

“Okay, so do the caterers bring along decorations?”

“Yeah, I think. Hold on, I’m getting to their website.” Ymir logs into the guest account on the family computer with no fucks given, and finds what she is looking for. “Yeah. Thank god, they do.”

“Excellent. Now, just think of some games to entertain the kids.”

“Oh that’s all?” Her voice is rising again. “I have no idea what to do with Gabi _now_ , and I’m getting three- no, _four_ more goblins to handle in an hour, so-”

“Ymir, I said chill,” Bert cuts in sternly. “You can get Gabi to help with setting up, she loves being useful. And for later… oh! You could hire an entertainer!”

“I suppose…” Ymir taps her finger on the desk pensively. “But who would come in such short notice? Probably just creeps and weirdos.”

“Well, maybe,” Bert admits, “but you never know. It’s a weekday afternoon.”

“In summer,” she reminds him.

“ _Try_.”

“Fine.” She sniffs. “Thanks.”

“Not a problem. Call me again if you need help-”

“Why, is the honeymoon going that bad?” She smirks.

“This is _not_ a honeymoon-” Bert sputters, but Ymir just cackles and hangs up with a sly, “Remember to use protection!”

Her smile slips away soon enough when she has to sit down and look for 'entertainers' . She casts cynical glances across one website to the next. No, thank you, ‘Dewey the clown’, she would rather have Gabi terrified of clowns than like them enough to follow them into a sewer or something. ‘The Great Lucio’ looks like he pulls cheap knockoffs out of a trenchcoat rather than a rabbit out of a hat. And who the fuck wants Santa in the middle of summer?

She almost gives up when she finds a locally-run webpage, advertising mostly petting zoos and visits to museums. But in their small list of employees, she finds a possible candidate.

 _Krista, 22,_ started off as a volunteer and is now helping chaperone kids full-time. She can bake, can skate, and likes both superheroes and princesses and is fluent at child-speak. 

Throwing a silent prayer into the void, Ymir calls the number on the website. After a minute of awkward back-and-forth, she is transferred to the child-speaker herself.

“Hi, this is Krista.”

“Hi, yes, are you free in an hour?”

“Um -wow, that’s very short notice, Miss…?”

“Ymir. Look, I’m just a babysitter, but I’m having to sit more babies than I bargained for, and I’m really desperate right now, so please tell me you can come.”

There is a beat of silence, then a lovely, tinkling laugh. “I’m sold. What’s the address, Miss Ymir?”

Somehow, it works. The caterers arrive in good time and set up their arrays of sweets and iced treats. The theme chosen, apparently, was “Pool Party”, so Ymir is forced to run upstairs and steal some of Miss Carina’s fancy sunscreen when they leave. Then she sits with an excitable Gabi and helps her make cold lemonade and coloured paper rings to hang on the beach chairs outside. There is still a thrum of panic running down her spine, but the look on Gabi's face when her friends arrive makes it worth it.

The kids are all prepared for a pool party, it seems. She gets them to change with minimal tantrums, and proceeds to dive bomb into the massive pool with them. There is an abundance of floatable toys and safety props, and Ymir makes sure to keep the kids concentrated in the shallow end as she plays catch with them with a giant beach ball.

She is so engrossed in the game that she doesn't hear the doorbell ring.

“Gabi, that was for me!” Zofia wails when Gabi dives in front of her yet again.

“You're too slow!”

“It was Zofia's turn to catch,” Udo says.

“You always take her side!” Gabi shrieks, and Ymir blows the plastic whistle that had been thoughtfully included in the decorations.

“Oi! Play fair, or no playing,” she warns them.

“They're ganging on me!” Gabi cries and shuffles over to her.

“It’s 'ganging _up_ on you’, and that's because you took Zofi's turn, little runt,” Ymir grins, calming her before she could swallow a lungful of water in between her vehement strokes.

“Ymir?”

Ymir looks up, sees the housekeeper, and suddenly remembers the entertainer.

“Okay, kids, out you get, time for ice pops!”

The kids get out of the water happily enough at the promised treats, and after towelling herself dry and slipping on her clothes, she hurries into the living room.

Then stops. Then stares.

“You must be Ymir.” The girl _-woman_ _-girl_ is smiling, and Ymir feels breathless because she has never seen a smile so _radiant_.

“Yeah,” she croaks. “Hi. Oh god I'm wet.”

A beat of silence passes, then she continues, wincing, “From the pool! I'm wet 'cause I was in the pool.” Internally she is screaming at herself to _shut the fuck up oh my god._

But instead of laughing, Krista's frowning. Shit. Why is she frowning?

“It's a pool party?” She looks even more worried. “Miss Ymir, I don't do water-based activities.”

“Just Ymir,” she corrects her automatically, then registers the rest of her words. “And why?”

“I… I just don't. Sorry, I should have mentioned it sooner.”

Ymir shakes her head, her heart dropping to somewhere in her gut. “I should've told you before.”

Krista shakes her head. "You couldn't have known. I'll see if I can find a replacement…" She frowns at her phone, and Ymir's heart sinks an inch or two more. Of _course_ the pretty girl wants to leave immediately, she always has the worst luck—

"I… don't think anyone is available though," Krista sighs, still staring at her phone.

"Uh, you don't have to get into the pool or anything," Ymir says quickly. "I've been swimming all my life and I'm trained in CPR, so like. I can handle that. If you're okay sitting by the pool and handling the kiddies when they're out." Krista still looks uncertain, and Ymir sighs. "Look, I'm really sorry to put you on the spot like this, but I could really use some help with the kids. I… understand if you still don't want to do it, though. I'll figure something… out…"

Ymir is distracted because Krista is distracted by something behind Ymir's shoulder. She turns and sees Gabi and Kaya staring at the two of them, their faces and palms pressed comically onto the glass sliding doors. Rolling her eyes, Ymir turns back — and her jaw almost drops again. Krista is smiling once more and it seems to make her face _glow_ , her blue eyes crinkling with warmth, dimples digging into her cheeks. Holy shit, she is _stunning._

"Uhh." Ymir intones intelligently.

Krista looks at her, and sighs, but doesn't stop smiling. "Well. You've won me over, Miss Ymir. It's hard to say no to those faces."

"Just Ymir, please," Ymir breathes, excitement blooming in her so suddenly she's afraid she'll pass out. "And _thank you_."

Krista blushes _very_ prettily at Ymir's heartfelt words. "But of course!" She grasps Ymir's hands and squeezes them once — her hands are surprisingly rough — and glances up at Ymir and says slyly, "I could never say no to a damsel in distress." 

And then she _winks_ and slips away before Ymir can even think of a response to that. 

Frozen in place, Ymir stares for a moment or two, then mutters quietly, "What the _fuck?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Ymir. Such a disaster lesbian.
> 
> Next chapter is ready and will be updated soon!
> 
> Thanks for reading! <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note, the kids are around six years old in this fic.
> 
> I used [this](https://www.azaleasdolls.com/dressupgames/casualstyle.php) dollmaker on [Azaleasdolls.com](https://www.azaleasdolls.com/index.php) to illustrate my vision of modern Ymir and Krista. All art credits belong to Azalea, the creator of the dollmaker!

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Krista is a huge hit with the kids. One look at her pretty smile and all the kids flock around her, lobbing questions at her with the rapidfire pace of a goddamn machinegun. To Ymir’s rising awe, Krista handles all of it splendidly.

“Your name is Krista Lenz?” Gabi gasps, her eyes going as wide as saucers. “My book has a girl with the same name!”

Krista blinks, thrown, then laughs. “That’s so awesome! Do you like book Krista?”

“Obviously!” Gabi sniffs. “She’s the prettiest and and best at everything.” The girl stares critically at Krista. “Are you the best at everything?”

“Well she’s definitely the _prettiest_ ,” Ymir smirks, leaning against the table. Krista grins at her, and Ymir feels her heart jolt when she sees the blush on her cheeks. “Don’t tease, Ymir.”

“Ymir don’t tease Miss Krista!” Falco chimes in.

“What? She’s pretty, isn’t she?”

“You’re beautiful,” Kaya agrees.

“Okay, who wants to play a game?” Krista says loudly, effectively distracting the kids. Ymir’s grin widens when she sees the stern glare Krista throws at her. She decides immediately that she needs to keep complimenting her, just to see that rosy blush on her cheeks again. It’s a party, after all, and Ymir means to have some fun, too.

An hour, then two go by. Krista is a wonder, light on her feet as she plays hide-and-seek with the kids, quick-witted as she fields all their incessant questions, and surprisingly stern too, intervening immediately when Gabi and Falco start one of their arguments. Ymir has it too easy; she barely has to do anything and simply follows Krista’s lead. More often than not, she spends her time gaping at her, watching her rosebud mouth move, eyeing her shapely legs in galaxy leggings, which Krista seems inexplicably okay with, despite the heat of the summer day.

And then there's her hair. Ymir can't quite put her finger on it, but there's something in the glint of the sun in her golden hair that just leaves her mesmerised. Krista is always touching it: twisting it in a loose braid for a while then shaking it loose, putting it up in an untidy bun then letting it tumble down her shoulders again. There's nothing conscious in those movements because her focus is entirely on the kids, but Ymir can't help but stare. Damn, this day is going so much better than she expected.

The day, in fact, is going so well that Ymir feels like she is trapped in a bright, happy little bubble with Krista and the kids, dangerously close to feeling _sappy_ . Then the housekeeper comes over to tell her Carina has called, effectively jolting her back into reality. Ymir sighs. _Way to ruin the mood_ , she thinks, and stands up. Krista looks up from the plastic flower garlands she is working on with the kids. 

“I’ve got a call, I’ll be back,” Ymir says. Krista nods, but Ymir can see a flash of concern in her eyes, so she turns to the housekeeper.

“Can you stay and help Miss Krista while I’m gone?”

The housekeeper shrugs, and Ymir takes that as a yes and hurries inside, squaring herself for the upcoming conversation.

She loathes Carina Braun from the very core of her being. Even before she started her babysitting gig, Ymir heard enough of her from Reiner to hate the woman. When he was a kid, Carina had forced him into athletics with an almost manic desperation, treating him like a goddamn racehorse. Reiner is now an international-level swimmer, and as much as he professes to actually enjoy the sport, Ymir is sure most of it comes from Carina browbeating her son all his life. When Reiner recommended Ymir to babysit his half-sister, Ymir would’ve turned the offer down in an instant, were it not for Carina’s new rich husband’s money. As it is, the money is _very_ good, and Gabi can be adorable in her own right, so Ymir has very little to complain about.

If she didn’t have to interact with Carina at all, the situation would’ve been perfect.

As always, Carina always seems to enjoy helicopter parenting more than actually being there for the kid. Her questions are endless on the phone, and Ymir wishes the bitch would actually show that interest to Gabi’s face instead of dumping all her irrational worries on Ymir when she calls to check up on them. Then again, her direct interest clearly did a number on Reiner. The woman still tries to manage his life for him, going as far as to have her new husband build a professional pool in their house, larger and deeper than most pools in the backyards of other rich fucks.

“Yes, she took her pills,” Ymir repeats for what seems like the tenth time. “With half a spoon of sugar, as always.”

_“Is she wearing the Elsa swimsuit or the Moana one?”_

“Well she’s wearing the blue one—”

_“Why is she not wearing the Moana suit? Really, Ymir, it's a Tiki party, and she should be wearing the Moana suit to match!”_

“She looks fine, Mrs. Braun—”

_“'Fine' isn't enough, it’s a Tiki pool party! What's the point in buying the latest trend if she isn't even wearing it!”_

Ymir bites her lip aggressively. “I’ll… go have her change right away.”

_“You do that. Honestly, I’m paying you to take care of her and if you can’t do a good job—”_

Ymir crumples up the hideous doily on the phone table, struggling to rein in her temper. “Sorry, Mrs. Braun. I’ll go do it right away, Mrs. Braun.”

 _“Good.”_ Without another word, the woman ends the call. Ymir breathes hard through her nose for several long moments, thinking about the balance in her bank account, about how she can charge extra for all the hassle today. Then, she abandons the doily and makes her way back to the patio. Despite Bitcharina’s best efforts, the day is going pretty well. And there’s _Krista_. Ymir feels excited again as she thinks about asking for her number, running through excuses to ask her in her head.

She is in the second drawing room that opens up to the patio, when she hears it — a scream, followed by a loud splash. Ymir stares through the glass doors for a moment, frozen in shock, taking in several facts at once. The housekeeper is nowhere to be seen. Gabi is standing by the pool, the deeper end of the pool, arms outstretched and terrified. And Falco is in the water.

 _Falco,_ who is a wimpy kid. Falco, who can barely swim. Falco is in the pool where the depth is at least fifteen feet.

Ymir is running before she knows it, but just as she bursts onto the patio, there is a blur of pink and gold. Krista’s white sneakers are by the poolside where the other three kids are huddled, terrified, and she dives in, galaxy leggings and all, in such a graceful arc that Ymir is stunned. She watches as Krista swims straight down, grabbing Falco, who is flailing and sinking. And as Ymir rushes to the poolside, her heart in her mouth, Krista hauls Falco entirely out of the water and practically throws him at Ymir. For such a tiny girl, she is _freakishly_ strong.

“Falco!” Gabi shrieks and launches herself at the boy, much to Ymir’s annoyance.

“Gabi, stay back!” She snaps, ready to perform CPR if she has to, but Falco is already coughing out water.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry!” Gabi wails, still clutching him tightly, the other kids beginning to swarm around them now.

“Get them inside,” Krista says sharply, and something about her voice is _off_. Ymir glances up at her, and is alarmed to see how pale she looks, the water around her churning with the strength of her movements.

“Are you—”

“Kids, inside, _now_!” Krista barks. “Gabi, help Ymir take him inside.”

“But—”

“Ymir, now, please. I’m fine, _go_ ,” she insists urgently. Ymir doesn’t understand, but she has to take her word for it because the kids are her highest priority. She stands up with Falco in her arms and leads the kids inside, feeling like she’s moving on autopilot.

It takes her ten long minutes to calm the kids down. The housekeeper rushes over with towels and many tearful apologies, something about cookies in the oven, but Ymir is barely listening to her. She can’t stop thinking about Krista, about her pale, stressed face, the way she dove into the pool like an expert despite saying she couldn’t get into the water. All Ymir wants to do is go check up on her, but the kids are still a mess and she can’t leave them now. She calms the housekeeper as well as she can and sends her to the pool to help Krista. 

In the meantime, she has all the kids change into their dry clothes and has them settle in the TV room. While she lets the other kids decide what movie to watch, she has a private talk with Gabi, who is still crying. The poor kid still looks so terrified that all of Ymir’s frustration melts away as she talks her through what happened and helps her understand that it is _not_ okay to shove your friends, whether there is a pool nearby or not. The kids finally pick a classic movie ( _Mulan_ ), and Ymir stays to watch the first five minutes with them, anxious and jittery. Krista has still not come inside.

Then the housekeeper turns up with the promised cookies, and while the kids are occupied, Ymir asks about Krista.

“There was no one in the pool. I think she left.”

Ymir frowns, glances at her phone. Nothing. Surely she wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye — to the kids, if not to Ymir?

Ymir looks at her charges again. All of them seem focused on the movie, Gabi is clinging adorably to Falco. Alright, then. She can’t bear it any longer.

She leaves the housekeeper with the kids again, who swears she won’t leave the room this time, and goes back to the pool. The yard is empty, the paper streamers are fluttering sadly in the evening breeze. _Damn_. She really did leave.

And then Ymir sees it — a dark _something_ floating on the water. She goes closer and sees what it is: Krista’s galaxy leggings. And near the pool still lie a pair of pristine white sneakers. What the fuck?

She goes up to the edge closest to the floating leggings and manages to fish them out. A wet trail leads from the pool… into the garden hedges? Getting more and more confused by the minute, Ymir calls out, “Krista?”

Nothing.

She steps closer to the bushes. “Krista, are you okay?”

“Stay where you are.” It’s Krista’s voice, alright, but she sounds hoarse. It’s bad enough to make Ymir walk faster to the edge of the garden and into the bushes. 

“Hey, what’s wrong—”

She stops. The world seems to tilt around her. The silence is ringing in her ears. Krista is lying on the muddy ground, looking stressed and unhappy. Her skin is gleaming wet, her hair is damp and beneath her sopping pink dress her legs… are gone. In their place is a large, shiny, scaly fish tail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S MERMAY!!
> 
> Next chapter will be up soon! Thank you for all the lovely appreciation, and thank you for reading!! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the lovely appreciation you guys! <3 I'll get to replying to your comments soon!
> 
> Happy reading!

A _tail_. With scales. And fins. 

Ymir’s jaw drops. “Uh.”

Krista huffs, swallows nervously. There are slits on the side of her neck that weren’t there before. Gills, Ymir realises. Fucking _gills._

“...Would you believe me if I said this is just a prop?”

“Uh,” Ymir says again.

Krista’s sighs, waves her hand unhappily. “This is why I said I don’t do water-based activities.”

Ymir blinks. “Uh.”

Krista sighs again. “Say something, please, Ymir.”

Ymir closes her mouth with a snap of her teeth. She swallows, scratches her head. “Uh,” she tries.

Krista brings her hands together in her lap — her shiny, scaly _fish tail lap_ — and looks away. The expression on her face is what breaks Ymir’s funk. She looks so fucking worried and _sad_ that Ymir suddenly wants to do anything to wipe that look away from her face.

“Sorry,” she mutters. “I, uh. Didn’t expect this.”

Krista looks up at her again, her blue eyes piercing and lovely and _scary_ somehow. “Of course.” She shifts uncomfortably. "Is Falco okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine. They're all watching a movie now."

Krista looks a little relieved. "I'm glad."

“A-are you gonna get your legs back or…?”

Krista frowns, looking worried again. “I will. In a few hours.”

“Wait, _hours_?”

“Normally it doesn’t take that long, but the chlorine makes it worse. My body simultaneously tries to process the chemicals and get rid of it.”

“Shit, did you swallow some?”

“No.” Krista points at her neck, at the gills that flap minutely as she does so, and Ymir almost takes a terrified step backwards. 

“Oh. Right. Yeah, didn’t think of that.”

“Of course,” Krista says again listlessly and silence descends upon them. Ymir toes the muddy earth nervously. “Do you, uh, want me to hose you down or something?”

Krista stares at her for so long Ymir thinks she’s said something wrong. But then she lets out a bark of laughter that’s very different from before — deeper and louder, her voice more hoarse, and her teeth — were her teeth always that _sharp_? Ymir feels a chill run down her spine.

“That won’t help, but thank you,” she murmurs, and to her shock Ymir can see her blush extend down her neck and down beneath the collar of her wet dress, something that _definitely_ didn’t happen before.

“So what'll help?” Ymir blurts.

"What?"

"What can I do to help?"

“You don’t have to,” Krista says in a small voice.

“Of course I do!” Ymir realises she’s too loud and lowers her voice. “I mean. The way I see it, it’s my fault you’re near a pool in the first place.”

Krista shakes her head sadly. “It’s my fault I looked away from Gabi and Falco.”

“Hey, look, that’s not on you,” Ymir argues. “They’re energetic kids. And you saved Falco, anyway, so, uh. Thank you.”

Krista smiles. “You’re very kind.”

Ymir has to focus on not staring. “So what can I do to help?”

Krista hesitates. “Is… is there someplace better I can hide?”

“How long are we talking?”

“Four hours minimum,” Krista admits reluctantly.

“Shit. I won’t be here that long. Gabi’s folks will be home by then.”

Krista closes her eyes. “That’s fine. As long as they don’t find me, I’ll manage.”

“But what if they do?”

“That’s why I need a good hiding place.”

Ymir shakes her head. “It’s too risky. How will you leave? The gates will be locked and they have solid security.”

“I don’t know what else to do, Ymir,” she sighs, shivering slightly.

Ymir huffs, looks at the sky as if for inspiration. No fucking dice. The clouds are as nonsensical and unhelpful as always. “If you could leave right now,” she says slowly, “where would you go?”

Krista looks up too. Ymir can’t help but wonder at how beautifully her eyes match the sky. “Honestly? The sea. The water is purifying for my kind.”

“Oh.” The coast is an hour’s drive away. Ymir stares helplessly at Krista, torn between leaving with her immediately and staying to take care of the kids. Krista seems to understand.

“That’s too far, I know. Besides, the beaches will be packed with people.”

“Right.”

They continue to stare at each other. Krista seems to have gotten paler, the skin under her eyes is turning so translucent she can see the veins underneath. Her hands are twisting nervously in her lap, and, even as Ymir watches, she shudders again, despite the warm weather. She looks forlorn and almost helpless, and that makes Ymir’s decision for her.

“Come home with me.”

Krista looks at her, startled. “What?”

“You’re shivering. I guess you need to be in water right now? But the chlorinated pool won’t do.” Ymir steps closer to her and tries to ignore her defensive flinch away from her. “I have a bathtub. Won’t fit all of you but it’s something. And I live alone, so no one will see.”

“I…” Krista looks uncertain. “I couldn’t impose.”

“Would you rather lie in the dirt all day?”

Krista opens her mouth, then sighs. “Okay.” The “thank you” that follows is so _tender,_ that Ymir thanks the stars her complexion doesn’t show anything but the deepest of blushes.

*

* * *

Somehow, they do it. Ymir leaves Krista in the hedges, not before leaving her purple jacket with her to help curb the shivering. Then she spends a very distracted forty five minutes with the kids until their parents come to pick them up. Carina arrives another half hour after that, so by the time Ymir leaves, the sun is already setting. She halts quickly near the hedges closest to the driveway, where she’d told Krista to wait. After a harrowing two minutes of shoving Krista and her _huge_ tail into the backseat of her old car, Ymir drives away, heart thudding.

They need to go up a flight of stairs to reach her apartment, and after some heated discussion in the car, Ymir opts for the simplest option. She scoops Krista into her arms and rushes up the stairs, making sure to state loudly, “ _Loving_ this costume, babe,” as she walks past her nosy neighbour’s door. Once inside, she makes a beeline to the bathroom, which she blessedly cleaned just a day ago, and can’t stop the sigh of relief that escapes her when she finally places Krista in the tub.

“Sorry, I’m heavier than I look,” Krista murmurs, but Ymir waves it away. A sudden silence falls over them, only broken by the loud hiss of water streaming from the tap into the tub. When the tub is full enough, Ymir turns the tap off and asks, “Is this fine?”

“Yes, thank you. Except…”

“Yeah?”

“Could you turn off the lights?”

Ymir stares at her, thinks of the glint of those teeth in the dark and feels goosebumps rise on the skin.

“Fluorescent light is… loud. And cold.” Krista explains.

Ymir sighs, tells herself to _get a fucking grip_ , and nods. She flicks the switch as she leaves the bathroom and goes rummaging in her apartment for candles. When she returns, she can feel Krista’s gaze on her as she sets up the candles. They’re mostly old Christmas gifts, and soon the bathroom is starting to fill with a heady mix of scents: of lavender and fresh laundry, chocolate and sea salt. When she is done, she exchanges a glance with Krista.

_What now?_

“Do you…” Ymir flails her hands helplessly for a second, “wanna beer? Or something?”

Krista blinks, then laughs. Her voice echoes in the bathroom, waves of tinkling melodies bouncing off the tiled walls, turning Ymir weak in the knees.

“Sure,” Krista smiles, and it’s like the sun has risen again, just to exist in Krista’s smile in Ymir’s tiny fucking bathroom. Holy shit.

“Uh.” She says. Swallows. “Coming right up.”

They clink their bottles together, and then they’re silent again, surrounded by the flickering candlelight, by the sounds of the _drip drip_ from the tap, and Krista’s tail gently lapping at the water.

“So,” Krista says, placing her bottle on the floor and leaning her elbows against the rim of the bathtub. “Do you have any questions?”

“…Will you give me any answers?”

Krista shrugs. “I don’t see why not.” She waves her tail gently in the air and Ymir watches it move, mesmerised. “You’ve already seen everything anyway.”

“Are there a lot of… people like you?”

“Do you mean in the ocean or pretending on land like me?”

“Both,” Ymir says after a pause.

“Oh. Then both, yes,” Krista grins.

“Shit. How. How does this work exactly?”

Krista combs through her wet hair with her fingers and Ymir almost loses track of the conversation as she stares at her. “Do you want a full scientific explanation?”

“Uh. Is there one?”

“Of course. We have scientists too.”

“Of course,” Ymir echoes. Now she is distracted by Krista’s fingers, which seem longer somehow, and the nails are definitely more tapered than they were before. They almost look like claws in the dim light, and Ymir is sure she would’ve fucking noticed _claws_ before letting her handle the kids.

But the overall effect is _mesmerising_. Krista looks more beautiful somehow, her looks are less conventionally pretty, more striking and ethereal. Her tail looks shinier the longer she spends in the water, her skin is turning paler, her teeth glint more every time she laughs, as if they are turning sharper. It sets off an almost animalistic instinct of fear in Ymir’s gut, even as she is bewitched by every single movement of the girl: from her slow, measured strokes through her hair to the tiniest flutters of her golden eyelashes as she blinks.

All in all, she is incredibly, dangerously stunning.

“Why are you on land anyway?” Ymir asks when the silence stretches too long.

“Even humans have wanderlust, I’m told. Surely that’s understandable?”

“It is,” Ymir agrees readily, then takes a sip of her beer to calm herself down. _Jesus_ she’s like a fucking puppy with this girl. “Are you from around here? Or like… the Mediterranean or something?” Ymir scratches her head, abashed, almost losing her grip on the bottle when Krista laughs again.

“My ancestors were from there. Most sirens have bloodlines going back to the Mediterranean—”

“Hold up.” Ymir stares at her. “Did you just say _siren_?”

Krista grins then, a sudden, wide, _horrific_ smile, because Ymir was right. Her teeth are definitely sharper. Holy. Fucking. Shit.

“Why?” She twists and adjusts herself, and Ymir is frozen to the spot as she watches the glimmering tail slither and coil in the water, and she thinks of pythons and boa constrictors. “Does that scare you, Ymir?”

“I. Uh.” Ymir swallows nervously. “I thought you were a mermaid.”

“Ohh you really shouldn’t call any of us that,” Krista purrs, and Ymir feels a jolt of fear again. “It’s a _very_ offensive term and you might get skinned alive for using it.”

“I — I’m sorry,” Ymir whispers, then almost drops her bottle when Krista bursts out laughing.

“I’m kidding.” She flops her tail back into its previous position, and her smile is suddenly sunny once more. What the _fuck_ is this girl?

“Haha,” Ymir states weakly, sinking onto the floor next to the tub. “Hilarious.”

“Sorry,” Krista murmurs, her eyes twinkling. Ymir is suddenly aware of how close their faces are to each other. This close, she can see the hints of grey in Krista’s blue eyes, the creases in the corner of her eyes, the very light freckles on her increasingly pale nose. “You looked like a frightened little guppy, I couldn’t resist.”

A — a _what?_

“A guppy?” She demands, and Krista giggles, “You’re cute.”

And just like that, Ymir is stunned speechless again. Krista simply watches her, smiling as if she knows exactly what she is thinking. “Very cute when you’re scared,” she clarifies, and a canine glints in her mouth. What the fuck, Ymir can’t take any more of this.

“Can I have your phone number?” She demands, and is _very_ gratified to see that Krista didn’t expect it, that gorgeous blush spreading across her features and neck again. 

"Maybe," Krista says nonchalantly, but the blush is too telling. 

That's fine. Ymir can take a maybe. She swigs down the rest of her beer, and gestures at their bottles, her heart racing for a whole other reason now. "More?"

Krista grins again, and Ymir has to admit to herself that she kinda likes those sharp-ass teeth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, mermaids are effing scary, okay. I love them so much they're my favourite mythical creature, but they can and will probably gut you alive.
> 
> Ymir is very lucky they're both disaster gays. ;)
> 
> Next chapter is also ready and will be up in a few days! Thanks for reading! <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand here's the final chapter! Thank you for joining me on this journey with the disaster lesbians!
> 
> Happy reading! <3

Ymir wakes up the next morning alone on the bathroom floor, head pounding, discarded bottles of beer lining the empty tub.

She sits up with a groan. The previous day feels like a dream. She is almost afraid she did dream it all, until she sees that she couldn't have drunk all that beer by herself. And then she finds a single, opalescent fish scale on her bathtub floor.

Her phone, unfortunately, is devoid of any new messages or contacts. When she feels awake enough, she calls the website where she found Krista and is told that Krista is on an extended leave of absence. Great.

She tries to remember the previous night. She mostly remembers talking, a _lot_. She remembers talking about growing up in the system, about her lackluster foster home, her community college degree, what a godsend the babysitting job had ended up being in a tough job market. She remembers talking about her own dreams of travelling, her secret love of Britney Spears’ music, things she hadn’t even told any other living soul.

And in turn, she vaguely remembers Krista talking about fields of seagrass, about giant hidden forts of bioluminescent coral, how walking on land felt like drowning and breathing at the same time. Lastly she remembers, through a haze, Krista singing towards the end of the night, despite not being able to recall a single note of music. She _thinks_ she has misty memories of plump, wet lips on her jaw, on her cheek, a single, seemingly important word whispered into her ear… but she could very well be imagining it.

Resigned, she passes the rest of the week in an unfocused daze, almost laughing bitterly when Gabi wants to watch _The Little Mermaid_ when she sees her next. She spends half the movie thinking of Krista, wondering what her hair would look like underwater (amazing, obviously), or if she has a lobster best friend (she _would_ have an animal sidekick/best friend, of course she fucking would), or if she knows what forks are (she does, they did eat at the pool party). The other half she spends in criticising the movie, amused and pleased that the pretty cartoons came nowhere close to how gorgeous Krista is in real life.

And then when she’s alone, she picks up the hard, gleaming scale she always carries in her pocket now, and stares at it, sometimes for hours, feeling the slippery smoothness of its surface and watching the light change colour on its pearly sheen.

She misses Saturday morning entirely as she sleeps in, wakes up grumpy and tired. Had things gone better on that fateful day, Saturday was when she'd planned to schedule the date she wishes she had with Krista. Sure, a night spent drinking beers in her bathroom was pretty good, but what's the point if she can't ever see her again?

Late in the afternoon, she remembers to charge her dead phone as she heats up leftover pizza in the microwave. Her phone comes to life, and immediately emits two _dings._

Two new messages from an unknown number. When she swipes them open, she freezes. Stares.

A map location, and four words.

_6.30pm tonight below viewpoint_

The location is on the coast at least three hours away, far from the crowded beaches. Ymir checks the time on her phone, and stumbles up with a loud "Holy _shit_!"

She can just make it, if she leaves right away.

She rushes to change, packs the cold pizza for her to eat on the way, and sets off immediately. The sun is already starting to set when she arrives. She parks her car at the viewpoint which is no more than a lay-by on the side of the road, then leans over the railings. She can see nothing but rocks being battered by the waves, and after a full ten seconds of panic, sees a narrow pathway of sorts down the rocks.

Okay. She can do this. At least she isn't afraid of heights.

She carefully treks down the side of the steep cliff to emerge into a hidden rocky alcove, where the tide has left little pools of calm water. _Perfect_ , Ymir thinks, excited, and makes her way fully down.

She halts for a moment, looking around. The sky is a gorgeous melange of pinks and oranges and pale violet. The sea drowns out the noise of traffic above her. And there, near the farthest rocky outcrop, is a glint of gold amidst the white surf. Ymir almost stumbles and falls.

A familiar voice calls out, clear yet hazy, “Careful.”

Ymir takes a deep breath, physically tells herself to _watch where you’re going, dumbass_ , and carefully makes her way across the rocks. It takes all her self-control to keep her eyes focused on her feet. It wouldn’t do to fall and break her neck _now_.

And finally, she stops by the rock. It _is_ her.

It’s _her_.

She is smiling. “Hello, Ymir,” she says softly, and somehow Ymir can still hear it over the crash of the waves. She wants to say something, but she can’t. She’s speechless.

Because Krista looks _stunning_.

The candles in Ymir’s bathroom had done her little justice. Krista’s scales aren’t just pearly white like her fins, they’re so much _more_. They reflect the shades of the sky above them: blushing rose and soft peach and gold and every other colour in between. Without the pink dress, Ymir can see that the scales from her tail just blend into the skin of her waist in subtle waves of shimmering colour. There are scales shining all over her in fact, as if there are clusters of golden, rosy starbursts lingering just beneath her skin everywhere — on her sides, her shoulders, her arms, and even her face. 

But the most endearing and lovely thing about her, Ymir finds, is the bright pink plastic flower garland she wears around her neck, one plastic bloom behind her ear. It’s what she worked on with the kids next to the pool, and Ymir remembers Gabi excitedly offering it to a delighted Krista, and she nearly fucking melts then and there.

Instead, she swallows and manages, “Hi.”

Krista leans back on the rock, her smile widening. There are those pointed teeth again, and Ymir shockingly feels nothing but fondness.

“Hi, Ymir,” she repeats, and Ymir takes a careful step closer.

“I, uh.” She totters for a second, then finds a better place to plant her feet firmly. “I missed you.”

Krista tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear — even her sharp claw-like fingers are gleaming. “Sorry for leaving the way I did. I still wasn’t feeling too great, and had to spend some time in the ocean as soon as I could.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ymir says absently. Krista is stroking through her golden hair again. It is much longer than before, far too long to have grown in mere days. Krista notices.

“I have to cut it again,” she says ruefully. “It’s a side effect of transforming—” She stops, then grins. “I never did give you that full scientific explanation.”

“Yeah.” They’re quiet for a few moments. Ymir watches her fingers move, the way she looks away shyly, the blush that’s slowly spreading across her cheeks and down her neck, past her fluttering, sparkling gills, and yes, even further down her chest. Krista blushes with her entire goddamn body and Ymir does not know what to do with that knowledge.

No, _fuck_ , she knows, dammit. She knows very well what she wants.

She steps closer until she is leaning against the same rock Krista is sitting on. “I missed you,” Ymir repeats, holding her gaze firmly when she looks back up at her.

“Is that why you came?”

“Is that why you called me?”

Krista laughs softly. “Maybe.”

“Yes.” Ymir leans forward slightly, smiling at the growing smile on Krista’s face. “That’s why I came.”

Krista shakes her head slightly and bites her lip, which looks so soft it’s a wonder her sharp tooth doesn’t tear through. “I called you to thank you.”

Ymir bites back a grin too. “And you couldn’t do that over a text?”

“I wanted to thank you in person.”

“Let’s hear it then.”

Krista mock pouts at her. “Don’t make it sound like a formality!”

Ymir inches her hand forward until it is lying on Krista’s hand on the rock, and she feels a thrill when Krista doesn’t move away. “You don’t have to, you know.”

“But I—”

“After all,” Ymir cuts in, twining her fingers slowly with Krista’s, “I couldn’t say no to a damsel in distress.”

Krista lets out a laugh that is both loud and deep, and a tinkling murmur at the same time. What an impossible girl. “How original!”

“Thanks.”

“You’re such a hack, Ymir.”

“Only for you.”

“Shut up.”

“Make me.”

Krista snorts. “Smooth.” Ymir shrugs, still smiling. They’re so close now that Ymir can see the freckles on her nose again, dark and gold and just as lovely as the rest of her. “Shall I rip your vocal chords out of your throat, then?”

“You can do whatever you like,” Ymir murmurs. Her ears are filled with the sound of the surf, and weirdly, of some sort of singing. Krista doesn’t seem to be doing it, her lips are pursed tight and plump and as Ymir stares at them, she realises she’s heard the music of the ocean before: in her small, candle-lit bathroom. The memory comes flowing back to her in ebbs and waves, until she remembers every bit of the siren song and every sound that had dripped from those lovely lips.

She finally remembers.

“Historia,” she whispers. She watches those blue eyes widen, the lips part slightly in surprise, but before she can say another word, those lips are on hers, soft, warm, salty sweet.

When Historia leans back, her smile is the softest yet. “You remembered.” Ymir only smiles in response, and Historia says, “Again.”

“Historia,” she barely finishes saying before she kisses her. Again. And again, and again, and again, until Ymir feels like she is drowning and breathing at the same time.

And so, laughing through the kisses, Ymir sings her own song back to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used [this](https://meiker.io/play/11554/online.html) gorgeous dollmaker to illustrate my vision of what siren Historia looks like. All art credits belong to the lovely [elequinoa](https://elequinoa.carrd.co/), the creator of the dollmaker!
> 
> And there you have it! I hope the 'siren' theme is fairly well established over the story and doesn't seem too jarring in the end? :)
> 
> Thank you for all the appreciation you guys, you're all so sweet!
> 
> And thank you for reading!! <3 <3


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